Rhythm Divine

Euphoria is your ninth studio album. How has the response been so far?

Euphoria is very close to my heart. I was with Monte Lipman,the President of Universal Republic,listening to the album and he was like ‘You know that the minute we put this album out,you’re going to have to start working on your next album.’ And believe me,the kind of response I’ve got,I think I should start working on my next album.

You have collaborated with a lot of other artists,including Akon and Usher,in this album. How was the experience of working with them?

I didn’t think of the collaborations until the songs were written. Once the song was written,I would say ‘OK,who would it be cool to do this song with?’ and in the case of Akon and Usher,I knew them from before. Usher and I had been speaking for quite some time,actually — we’re friends — and we said ‘OK,it would be cool if we could collaborate.’ The one with Akon just happened. RedOne and I were in the studio and Akon went by,and he listened to the song and was like,‘Let me jump in on the second verse.’ It wasn’t planned. The only song that was actually planned is Heartbeat — a duet with Nicole from the Pussycat Dolls. I wrote it with her in mind.

Which is your favourite track?

My favourite track from the album is I like it. It’s the first single. I tried not to over think the songs. I just said ‘OK,whatever comes out,comes out — let it be about having fun. Don’t overthink it,just do it’.

What is your take on Indian Bollywood music and Indian classical music?

Indian music has a lot of soul. Well,I have heard the music of AR Rahman. I heard his song Jai Ho with Pussycat Dolls and I really liked it a lot.

You have sold 55 million albums so far in English and Spanish. How has the journey been so far?

I’ve always said,there are two aspects to my music. One is to write a song that makes you feel better than anything. You feel like you want the whole world to hear it at that moment because you feel that it’s truly magical. And then,going from there to singing it on stage,and suddenly realising that it’s connected with the people,that it’s a hit song,a song that people are singing back to you. There’s no better feeling in the world.